The Girls Musical - the Manchester leg

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new musical ‘The Girls’ has travelled to The Lowry Theatre in Manchester and I was lucky enough to go along to see it. As they did for a previous showing in Leeds, the producers again kindly gave us 200 tickets to bring along guests to see a special performance. We were able to invite consultants and nurses from local hospitals, including Manchester Royal Infirmary and the Christie as well as blood cancer patients and Bloodwise supporters in and around Manchester.

Myself and Diana were able to meet many of our guests before the show, who we talked to about all the exciting projects we are working on now and are planning for next year. We were also able to build new relationships with expert medical professionals who seemed keen to get more involved with the charity.

The show was a phenomenal success but still as (if not more) emotional as the first time I’d seen it. It was particularly touching when Angela and the rest of the original Calendar Girls came on stage with the cast. They inevitably received an incredibly well-deserved standing ovation from the audience.

Then the producers brought on the final surprise of the evening – GARY BARLOW! After making sure my phone had enough battery to capture every second, I was able to watch him sing ‘Dare’, one of the best songs of the show. The crowd were delighted (though none more than me!) and it gave all our guests a night to remember.

So far bucket collections outside the theatre after each performance have raised over £26,000 and we hope to raise even more whilst the show is in Manchester to add to the £3.5million the Girls have already raised for Bloodwise.